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Uncovering the Differences Among Displaced Workers: Evidence from Canadian Job Separation Records

Author

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  • Serdar Birinci
  • Youngmin Park
  • Thomas Pugh
  • Kurt See

Abstract

We revisit the measurement of the sources and consequences of job displacement using Canadian job separation records. To circumvent administrative data limitations, conventional approaches address selection by identifying displacement effects through mass-layoff separations, which are interpreted as involuntary. We refine this procedure and find that only a quarter of mass-layoff separations are indeed layoffs. Isolating mass-layoff separations that reflect involuntary displacement, we find twice the earnings losses relative to existing estimates. We uncover heterogeneity in losses for separations with different reasons and timing, ranging from 15 percent for quits after a mass layoff to 60 percent for layoffs before it.

Suggested Citation

  • Serdar Birinci & Youngmin Park & Thomas Pugh & Kurt See, 2023. "Uncovering the Differences Among Displaced Workers: Evidence from Canadian Job Separation Records," Staff Working Papers 23-55, Bank of Canada.
    • Handle: RePEc:bca:bocawp:23-55
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labour markets; Potential output; Productivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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